The nation's retail chains have recognized Cleco Power, Entergy, FirstEnergy, OG&E Electric Services, and Southern Company as the electric companies offering the industry's best overall customer service in 2005. Barry Mosser of American Electric Power, Marguerite Towne of National Grid, and Janet Booker of Southern Company also were honored for best customer service by an individual National Accounts executive.

The awards, presented during Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) Spring National Accounts Workshop, were part of the power industry's ninth annual Customer Service Awards program.

"At the heart of every successful business relationship you'll find customer service," said Thomas R. Kuhn, president, Edison Electric Institute. "The electric companies and individuals honored today understand this. They truly believe that the best way to reach their goals is by helping their customers to reach theirs. The winners' philosophy stands as a beacon for the nation's electric power industry -- and indeed all industries."

Each year, the nation's multi-site businesses (hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, health care facilities, and the federal government) are asked to vote for the electric companies who provide customer service that goes beyond their expectations. This year, more than 200 representatives from over 100 multi-site businesses voted.

In the contest, electric companies are grouped in three categories, small, medium, and large, according to the total number of commercial customers they serve. The winning electric companies were the top vote getters in each category -- Cleco Power won in the small category and OG&E Electric Services in the medium category. This year, due to the closeness of the vote in the large category, the top three companies were selected -- Entergy, FirstEnergy, and Southern.

The winning individual national accounts executives were the top three vote getters overall.

Margaret Manning of TJX Companies, and a member of EEI's Customer Service Advisory Group, said, "The winning companies and individuals were recognized for a variety of reasons. Key among them was that:

• They have senior management that advocate for the needs of commercial customers internally—and externally if necessary—to increase options and flexibility in terms of rates and services.

• They have field organizations that are willing and able to expedite temporary and permanent power to new stores and facilities quickly and efficiently.

• They also work hard to restore power as quickly as possible after natural disasters, and make remarkable efforts to communicate progress in the interim.

• They have developed electronic programs and other billing options to meet the changing needs of customers, and the support staff to implement them with minimal delays.

• And, they have checks and balances in place for quality control, which means they read the meters in a consistent and timely manner, catch errors before they are billed, and don’t misapply payments.”

Manning added that, "all the winning electric companies and representatives deserve the praise they received today. They make life easier for us. Our businesses operate in all 50 states. We manage hundreds of utilities, in a wide range of electric utility markets. By helping to improve our productivity and profitability, they are enabling the nation's multi-site industries to grow and become more competitive. That benefits all consumers."

This was the eighth consecutive year that Entergy has earned the distinction for best overall electric company customer service, and the fourth consecutive year that Mosser of American Electric Power won the individual award.

Besides TJX Companies, the companies voting in the awards program encompass a wide variety of industries, and include such national brands as Starwood Hotels, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Staples, and The Limited.